RCDS has three divisions, each focused on the different cognitive and emotional needs of students as they progress from early childhood to pre-adulthood. The Lower School offers a nurturing environment that focuses on citizenship skills; the Middle School is structured to be responsive to students in a transitional time; and the Upper School models a vigorous and affirming environment that prepares students to achieve excellence at the college level.

Parent / Student Handbooks

Our philosophy states, "A superior education embraces the concept that to educate is to do more than to teach. We regard the student as a whole person and seek to assist each in fulfilling his or her potential for personal growth by providing an environment that nourishes cultural, social, and physical needs, as well as moral and ethical sensitivities, thus helping our young men and women to define an image of themselves that they can accept and respect."

A phrase commonly repeated at RCDS is that we never allow students to “slip through the cracks.” We approach our students as individuals, nurturing their unique abilities and challenging each to do his or her best. With an 8:1 student-faculty ratio, our teachers have the ability to know and connect with their students. Each student has a team of adults, comprising teachers, administrators, advisors, and parents, that works closely together in creating a robust support network for the child. RCDS offers a multitude of academic and co-curricular activities so that all students can explore and discover the areas in which they thrive.

What does this success mean for our students after they leave Rye Country Day? RCDS students are accepted into and flourish at the best colleges and universities around the world. Over the course of the last five years, Rye Country Day has sent the most students to the following schools:

Beyond college, our tight-knit alumni network is filled with leaders in their fields who reach out and support each other both professionally and personally throughout their lives. We know, because we keep in touch with them, that they are tremendously accomplished.

All three divisions of RCDS operate on a six-day cycle rather than a five-day week. This system of class rotation gives students more time to pursue elective courses, meet with teachers, schedule co-curricular activities, and connect with friends. To see what day of the cycle it is, view the school calendar.

Each student in Grades 7-12 is required to have his or her own laptop computer for use in school and at home. A new student in Grades 7-12 can purchase a laptop through the school-endorsed Apple/IBM educational laptop program for approximately $1200 (includes a three-year warranty) or can provide his or her own laptop, provided it meets the needed specifications. More information about the laptop program is available on the technology section of the website.

Any student receiving any amount of financial aid receives a laptop from the School, and may choose from any of the school endorsed options.

While the School does not provide transportation for students to or from school, there are a number of options for families. Most students travel by car or arranged carpools. Many students take Metro North, buses, or taxis. Some parents may wish to apply for the transportation of their children through service provided by public school districts in accordance with New York State law; for more information on this, parents should contact directly the Board of Education of the school district in which they reside by April 1 of the prior school year. For students traveling from Yonkers, the School arranges transportation.

We partner with FLIK Dining Services to provide healthy, delicious, fresh, and well-balanced meals to our community. The Dining Room features a well-stocked salad bar, a yogurt bar, healthy beverage choices, a sandwich station, and a chef-prepared entrée station. There is also a Lower School Dining Room that features age and size-appropriate tables, chairs and serving areas. The monthly menu is available under Quicklinks. The provided lunch plan is optional, though highly recommended.

FLIK is dedicated to working with families. There are many allergy-friendly options, and we are a peanut aware community.

Rye Country Day School has implemented the Haiku Learning Management System (LMS) for all grades. The Haiku LMS is used primarily by teachers and students. Teachers post information, assignments, assessments, web links, video links, and manage discussion boards and more for students to complete either in class, in a lab environment, or at home depending on the needs of the student and the class. Students can upload completed projects and documents to Haiku for their teachers' review and grading.

One of the outstanding features of Haiku is the availability of a Parent Account. These accounts allow parents to log in to Haiku LMS and see the information that teachers are providing, including but not limited to class events, special requests, assignments, homework, and student resources.

Lower School Extended Day is offered to children of working parents/guardians and runs from the end of the academic day until 5:30 p.m. Learn more.

After-School Clubs are offered to Lower and Middle School students during eight-week sessions in the fall, winter, and spring. Clubs reflect interests as varied as chess, drama, hip-hop dancing, and yoga. The clubs may change periodically throughout the year, depending on the teacher offerings and students' interests. After-school clubs run from 3:15 - 4:15 p.m.

Financial aid is applied at the same percentage as tuition for the Extended Day and After-School Club fees.

Middle School Homework Center runs from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and offers a quiet place for students to work independently on their school assignments.

Upper School students may stay on campus until 6:00 p.m. Even after the academic day is over, the RCDS campus is bustling with activities ranging from athletics to the arts, to group work on assignments and club gatherings. The library offers a quiet place to work on assignments for students who do not have other scheduled activities.

Rye Country Day School (RCDS) offers financial aid to qualifying families with children entering Kindergarten through Grade 12. Our financial aid program is need-based, which means the School does not offer academic, athletic, or merit-based scholarships of any kind. Financial aid is granted to families of qualified admissions candidates who demonstrate financial need. Please note that there is no financial aid offered for Pre-Kindergarten students.

No. Financial aid grants consider the entire expense of attending RCDS. This factors in "extra" costs such as lunch, books, and other expenses. Furthermore, all students who receive financial aid in Grades 7-12 (regardless of the grant size) are loaned a new laptop computer from the School as part of their financial aid grant. Although the computer is technically owned by RCDS, the student has use of this machine at home and during all vacations. Families will be billed $60 annually for insurance on the laptop. Finally, RCDS is also pleased to support school-related trips for students who receive financial aid. The School will support approved trips for students who receive financial aid at the same percentage as their financial aid grant (e.g., a family who pays 50 percent of our tuition would be asked to pay 50 percent of any school-related trip).

The School looks to support qualified students who will be able to contribute to school life in many ways. RCDS has students who receive financial aid in all divisions of the School (Lower, Middle, and Upper). Historically, the School has had a larger concentration of students who receive financial aid in the Middle and Upper divisions, but all families are welcome to apply. There are limited funds for Lower School students and no financial funds available for Pre-Kindergarten. Currently, our students who receive financial aid come from approximately twenty different communities in Westchester and Fairfield Counties, as well as Manhattan and the Bronx. Our families also come from a range of incomes and qualify for varying amounts of financial support.

The first step in applying for financial aid is to indicate your interest in financial aid on the Online Application for Admissions. Please note, our admissions literature addresses the financial aid process in general, but it can be helpful to speak with our Financial Aid Officer, Courtney Doucette, by phone (914-925-4542), e-mail courtney_doucette@ryecountryday.org, or in person if you would like to complete a financial aid application.

RCDS uses School and Student Services (SSS) to establish financial need. For more information about SSS, call (800) 344-8328 or visit their website at sss.nais.org. Applicants for financial aid need to complete the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS), which must be done online. SSS will notify the Financial Aid Officer when the PFS is completed. The School also requires that applicants submit a copy of all federal IRS forms submitted in the previous year, as well as the most recent W2 forms to SSS. All of these documents combined give RCDS an informed sense of a family's financial need. It is important to note that although RCDS uses SSS as a guide in this process, actual grants are always recalculated locally and distributed by the Financial Aid Office at RCDS.

Our students who receive financial aid come from a wide variety of family structures, and ultimately every family's situation is considered on a case-by-case basis. However, RCDS does have a clear policy for considering aid in separated/divorced situations. The Financial Aid Committee does consider financial resources that are available to the applicants from all parents (non-custodial and step-parents included).

The School distributes financial aid grants simultaneously with admissions offers. Since most of our admissions responses occur in mid-February, our financial aid application process must commence well in advance of this date. The SSS portal (in order to start your PFS) opens in late October. The due date for a completed financial aid application for prospective students is December 15th.

If your financial aid application is completed by the aforementioned deadline, then the answer is almost always "no." Financial aid and admissions are two separate processes at RCDS; our Admissions Committees do not consider financial need when evaluating the qualifications of an admissions applicant. While the financial aid budget is generous, it is not limitless. Applications for aid that are submitted after the December deadline can only be considered subject to the availability of funds. Sometimes RCDS is unable to make aid grants to all qualified students based on budgetary constraints.

Generally, yes. As long as a family's financial situation remains relatively unchanged, families should anticipate that their cost will remain relatively constant throughout their experience at RCDS. Grants can change in either direction depending on significant changes in a family's financial circumstances. Families must complete the PFS and submit supporting documents each year.

No. The identity of students who receive financial aid is kept in confidence at RCDS. Beyond the Financial Aid Committee, only Senior Administrators have access to financial aid status. No one has access to any financial documents except for the Financial Aid Committee.

At any time during the financial aid process, please feel free to contact Courtney Doucette, Financial Aid Officer, at 914-925-4542 or courtney_doucette@ryecountryday.org. Our goal is to make this process as efficient and clear as possible.

September 1 is the cut-off date for a Lower School applicant's date of birth (Pre-K - Grade 4). For example, applicants to the Pre-Kindergarten must be age 4 by September 1 of the year of entrance. This is a firm policy with no exceptions.

December 1 for Lower School (Pre-Kindergarten - Grade 4) applications and December 15 for Middle and Upper School (Grade 5 and above) applications. Recommendations and transcripts are due by January 15.

Yes. We strongly encourage applicants, especially those applying to Grade 4, to spend a day shadowing one of our students. This optional part of the process is available for applicants to Grade 4 and above who have submitted the online portion of the application. Visiting days begin in October and end in January. Call the Admissions Office at 914-925-4513 to make arrangements after the online application has been submitted.

For applicants to Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten:Small group visits at RCDS in December (Kindergarten) or January (Pre-Kindergarten), and individual screening at RCDS by appointment (November through January).

For applicants to Grades 1 and 2:Individual screening at RCDS by appointment.

For applicants to Grades 3 and 4:Students applying to Grades 3 and 4 are required to sit for admissions testing at RCDS in December. This year's testing will take place on December 9, 2017.

RCDS is, by tradition, a "family" school. Sibling and legacy applications (faculty/staff and children of alumni), are given priority consideration with all other things being equal. However, admission is never guaranteed.

RCDS will mail responses to applications on approximately February 17 for Grade 5 and above, and February 24 for all Lower School applicants (PK - Grade 4), provided that the application is completed by January 15.